Week in Review: February 12 – 16
Welcome to Elizabeth May’s parliamentary week in review! This weekly e-newsletter recaps her work in Parliament when the House is in session. Using the links below, you can watch videos of Elizabeth’s interventions in the House, keep up with her media releases, and read articles she has written.
Elizabeth started the week by blasting holes in the opposition’s arguments for the Trans Mountain pipeline. Later, she intervened multiple times on Bill C-68, An Act to Amend the Fisheries Act, and the omnibus environmental protections legislation, Bill C-69, which includes the Navigation Protection Act, Impact Assessment Act and Canadian Energy Regulator Act. She also spoke on the recognition and implementation of Indigenous rights in the Canadian justice system.
* If you are having trouble viewing this email, please view online at: https://elizabethmaymp.ca/category/news/week-in-review/
Key Moments in the House
Speech
On Wednesday, February 14, the government promised to introduce a new legal framework for Indigenous people. This was prompted in large part by the unjust proceedings of the Colten Boushie case, which roiled the nation last week after the jury returned a verdict of ‘Not guilty.’
Endemic issues in the Canadian justice system, such as the discriminatory use of peremptory challenges and an extremely disproportionate incarceration rate, has eroded Indigenous peoples’ trust in a fair process. The leaders of each federal party stood in the House on Wednesday to underscore the importance of creating and implementing the proposed framework in true collaboration with Indigenous communities. Later that evening, Parliamentarians took part in a Take Note debate on Indigenous people and the Canadian justice system.
Elizabeth’s speech can be accessed by clicking the image below:
If you wish to learn more about Canada’s unjust treatment of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, Elizabeth has recommended the following resources:
- Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire, The Secret Path, Toronto: Simon & Schuster Canada, 2016
- Thomas King, The Inconvenient Indian: a Curious Account of Native People in North America, Toronto: Anchor Canada, 2013
- Paulette Regan, Unsettling the Settler Within; Indian Residential Schools, Truth Telling, and Reconciliation in Canada, UBC Press, 2011
- Monique Gray Smith, Speaking our Truth: A Journey in Reconciliation, Victoria: Orca Books, 2017
Adjournment Proceedings
Debate
CPC Opposition Motion: Trans Mountain Expansion Project
Bill C-68: An Act to Amend the Fisheries Act
Bill C-69: Navigation Protection Act, Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act (Omnibus)
- Does the member share my concern that this government has kept in place much of what Harper created?
Take Note: Indigenous Rights and Canada’s Justice System
In the News
- “Trudeau Environmental Changes a Harper-Hybrid, says May” (Jeremy J. Nuttall, The Tyee, February 9)
- “Elizabeth May explains how the sale of a construction company to China can hurt B.C.”
(Elizabeth May, National Observer, February 12)
- “Tearing up NAFTA? Please start with Chapter 11”
(Michael Harris, iPolitics, February 15)
- “Plett supports proposed ban on capture of wild cetaceans”
(Holly Lake, iPolitics, February 14)
Public Statements
Petitions
Elizabeth introduced the following petitions to the government this week:
- Prevent the trade, distribution and sale of shark fin.
- Create a permanent tanker ban on crude oil tankers along the entire west coast of British Columbia.
- Accelerate efforts to prepare Canadians for climate adaptation, across various sectors, and pursue this with the same vigour as mitigation.
- Work with the provinces to develop a new national building code to increase energy efficiency.
Note: Elizabeth presents petitions once the deadline for signatures has passed. After presentation in the House, the government has 45 calendar days to table a response. You may read the governments’ responses to petitions Elizabeth has introduced here.
View and sign open e-petitions currently sponsored by Elizabeth here.
Learn about the e-petition process or create one of your own here.
Community Newsletter
December 2017 Newsletter – Truth & Reconciliation
Have Your Say
Engage in government consultations for key legislative items:
Toward a new Arctic Policy Framework
Deadline: February 28
Carbon pricing: Regulatory framework for the output-based pricing system
Deadline: April 9
Development of Regulations – Proposed Impact Assessment Legislation
Deadline: April 15
Committee Briefs & Responses
Submission to the Consultations on the federal Carbon Pricing System
Submission to the Consultations on the Federal Leaders’ Debates
Submission to the Consultations on Health Canada’s Proposed Approach to the Regulation of Cannabis
Submission to the Consultations on the Proposed Excise Duty Framework for Cannabis Products
Submission to the Canada-Pacific Trade Consultations
Brief Submitted to the NAFTA Renegotiation Consultation
Brief Submitted to the Minister of Food and Agriculture Canada for “A Food Policy for Canada”
Response Submitted to the Consultations on Tax Planning Using Private Corporations
Response Submitted to the “Environment and Regulatory Reviews: Discussion Paper”
Brief Submitted to the Expert Panel Reviewing Environmental Assessment Law
Private Members’ Bills
Elizabeth May has introduced the following bills:
Bill C-387: This bill will establish a legislative framework for a national passenger rail service.
Bill C-269: This bill will abolish mandatory minimum sentences for all crimes except murder and treason.
Bill C-258: This “Think Small First” bill would require that every new bill introduced in the House undergo an assessment to determine how the bill would impact Canadian small businesses.
Bill C-259: The Open Science Act would require all federal departments to make all publicly funded scientific research available to Canadians on their websites.
For a list of private members’ bills Elizabeth May has seconded, please visit elizabethmaymp.ca.
Recent Events
Monday, February 12
- Elizabeth met with representatives from the Canadian Federation of Medical Students
- Elizabeth spoke at the Carleton Equal Voice event
Tuesday, February 13
- Elizabeth visited constituent Jacqueline Anaquod, whose research on the benefits of language on Indigenous health has been spotlighted by the Canada Foundation for Innovation
- Elizabeth was part of a Roundtable discussion on “The Role of Women in the Decision-Making Processes,” an event organized by the All-Party Parliamentary Women’s Caucus and the Women Heads of Diplomatic Mission in Ottawa
As always, the support of the Green Party of Canada has been invaluable in enabling Elizabeth to hold the government to account on such a large number of issues. For more information on their work, or to get involved, please visit: https://www.greenparty.ca/